People lose trust in electoral system

Media reports on the participation of voters at the upazila parishad elections are appalling. 

Only 2.58 percent of the voters cast their votes at a polling centre in Joypurhat sadar upazila, a figure good enough to give us an idea about the upazila parishad elections.
As many as 22 election officials and 14 members of the law enforcement were there at the polling centre, but only three people came to cast their votes in the first one and half hours.
At the end of the day, the number increased to 67, whereas 2,591 voters were supposed to show up at that centre.
The Election Commission, however, has been claiming that over 43 per cent votes have been casted in Sunday’s upazila parishad elections, a claim we are not so very sure about.
The question is – how come the voters’ turnout is so low? The answer is simple – the voters were not very interested to exercise their right to franchise.
We all know that people here in Bangladesh find it very satisfying when they can cast their vote and have their say in the polls. Even some think that it is the only right of the deprived and the poor.
But what made them turn their back on the elections?
First, opposition parties like BNP had excluded themselves from the union parishad elections, which meant there were no rivalry among the parties. Moreover, some unions had only one candidate.
The number of voters were high in the areas where there were more than one candidate from the ruling party. But in these upazilas stuffing of ballot papers the night before election have been reported, as did hijacking of the ballot box and so on. A number of presiding officers across the country were also held for their involvement in the irregularities.
Which means the elections not only had poor turnout of voters, but it was also stained with anomalies.
The unprecedented rigging of the 11th National Parliamentary Elections were the main reason behind the indifference of the voters.
Former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain is right to say that the parliamentary elections had a negative impact at the polls happening afterwards.
No matter what the election commission says, the number of voters has gradually decreased in the recent elections, he believes.
It is alarming for a democratic country when its people become indifferent to their right to franchise.
It means from the government to the national parliament, every level of people’s representation is under threat. This is very alarming and this has to stop now. It is only possible to win back the voters’ trust by ensuring a congenial environment and holding free and fair elections.